Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History

June 14, 1995

Dear Ron and Karen:

I received you rock
specimen and request for information here in the Department of Mineral Sciences.
Your specimen had us
somewhat stumped at first. In the future it would be extremely helpful to
include information describing where the
specimen was found (at least which U.S. state).

Your specimen is nephrite, a variety of jade. To determine
this I looked at a thin section. What makes it unusual is the fact that it has
orbicular structure. “Orbicular” implies that the rock contains “concentric
shells of different texture and/or mineralogy about a central core.” “*Orbicules
can be very different and “The heterogeneity of orbicules implies that no single
explanation of origin is applicable to all occurrences. “*There are many
theories for orbicule formation (at least 6 or 7) that you can easily research
yourself, and would be difficult to attempt to explain in a letter.

Nephrite is a metamorphic rock that commonly occurs at
convergent margins – places where two tectonic plates collide, and
subduction occurs (one plate forced under another), producing high temperature
and pressure environments. I have enclosed a page out
of a good reference that included a little more information.

Thank you for thinking of the
Smithsonian Institution.

July ‘95: On a subsequent call we were informed that the Smithsonian
Institution did not now think it was nephrite but had never seen this type of
stone, and they could not figure out what it was…or where it came from!

The Smithsonian Institute wanted a large specimen for display at their Earth,
Sciences and Space Museum.

"Your
specimen is nephrite, a variety of jade. To determine
this I looked at a thin section. What makes it unusual is the fact
that it has orbicular structure. “Orbicular” implies that the rock
contains “concentric shells of different texture and/or mineralogy
about a central core.”

...and
afterwards by phone they said their conclusion of Nephrite was in
error and then said “We have never seen this type stone and cannot
figure out what it is and where it came from.”

Smithsonian Institution

National
Museum of Natural History
Rock and Ore Collection
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Jadeite, a member of the pyroxene group
has the formula: (NA, AL, FE) SI2 06.
This is a much better fit to your X-ray energy dispersive analysis (EDX)
results.
In conclusion I think it is Jadeite, and perhaps the special version
Chloromelanite."

"It
is a fresh and Unusual alkalik volcanic rock predominantly composed of
the four minerals Quartz, Anorthoclase, Riebeckite and Aegirine. The light green spherules you see in the stone composed of
radiating fibers are Riebeckite needles mantled with fine grained
Aegirine. The darker matrix is richer in Riebeckite and also contains
more Quartz.”

Consulting Petrographer. Globo De Plomo
Co-Author of Mineralogy of Arizona_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You may have seen a new
lapidary material being offered for sale recently. It's called "Nebula StoneTM,"
and is a dark-green, nearly black, shiny material with fascinating, light-green,
swirling orbicules scattered through the dark matrix. These inclusions make the
rock look like the night sky viewed through a telescope, wherein you see
galaxies, nebulae and individual stars scattered against a dark
background- hence, the name Nebula Stone.

What makes Nebula Stone
so unusual is that it has been analyzed by several noted scientists without
anyone coming up with a definitive answer as to what type of rock it actually
is. Using a variety of recognized techniques, scientists have studied the rock
carefully, yet cannot come to a final, similar conclusion.
"It is highly regarded as an energy stone and healing stone by people
who are metaphysically attuned."

"The stone now enjoyed by the mineralogist, the lapidary and the
spiritually inclined alike."

We have pages for those interested in the Scientific, the
Geologic, the Mineralogical and the Esoteric for our many customers of varied
interests.

Webster's dictionary:
Esoteric/Metaphysical: Other than Physical. Relating to the transcendent or
to a reality beyond what is perceptible to the senses.

I received a call from a gruff
sounding gentleman that wanted to know about Nebula Stone. I didn't know what
his interests were so I mentioned that he could read some of the stuff on
the pages on our web site. I mentioned that there was scientific,
Geologic/Mineralogical, Rock Hounding articles and esoteric/metaphysical writings.

He then said (real load) "Oh, I don't
believe in that metaphysical Crap"

Then he said... "hmm... I see."...
then he laughed and said "Thank you for that."

We sell to all Mineral collectors no matter their
belief systems. We are happy to help everyone in obtaining a fine mineral
specimen for their collections. Nebula Stone is
a recent geologic, mineralogical discovery, with a unique combination of minerals, named
for it's Cosmological resemblance.

(the gentleman did acquire a
fine Specimen for his collection.)

STARDUST TO STARDUST

Every atom in your body is billions of years old. Hydrogen, the most
common element in the universe and a major feature of your body, was
produced in the big bang 13.7bn years ago. Heavier atoms such as carbon and
oxygen were forged in stars between 7bn and 12bn years ago, and blasted
across space when the stars exploded. Some of these explosions were so
powerful that they also produced the elements heavier than iron, which stars
can't construct. This means that the components of your body are truly
ancient: You are stardust.

Soon after entering elementary school, he began to express a
strong inquisitiveness about nature.
Sagan recalled taking his first trips to the public library alone, at the
age of five, when his mother got him a library card.
He wanted to learn what stars were, since none of his friends or their
parents could give him a clear answer:

"I went to the librarian and asked for a book about stars ...
And the answer was stunning.
It was that the Sun was a star but really close.
The stars were suns, but so far away they were just little points of light
...
The scale of the universe suddenly opened up to me. It was a kind of
religious experience.
There was a magnificence to it, a grandeur, a scale which has never left me.
Never ever left me."*

Carl Sagan Cosmos Carl Sagan We are made of Star Stuff, We
are in the Universe and the Universe is within us. "Just like the Nebulas,
Just like Ourselves...Everything is Reborn and Continues".